MR. gage's ADDRESS. 11 



borer, who is hired by the day, will accomplish three 

 times as much as the peasant, who works for himself. 

 The classical Addison thus describes the condition of 

 the Italian husbandman : 



'' But what avail her unexhausted stores ; 



Iler blooming mountains and her sunny shores ? 



The poor inhabitant beholds in vain, 



The reddening orange and the swelling grain ; 



Starves in ihe midst of nature's bounty, curst ; 



And, in the leaden vineyard, dies for thirst." 



If we have not a soil of equal fertility, we should 

 thank Heaven for a still richer blessing ; — that we 

 can enjoy, without fear, the fruits of our industry. 

 In this interest in the soil, in its productions, in the 

 results of your intelligence and zeal as applied to its 

 cultivation, you possess a far greater good than you 

 would in the fertile land of Egypt, if, at the same 

 time, you lived under laws which broke the manliness 

 of your spirit ; which tore from your possession pro- 

 ductions reared by your toil, moistened " by the sweat 

 of your brows." Take from man the stimulus, which 

 this personal interest affords, and he sinks into imbe- 

 cility and hopelessness. Give full play to such incen- 

 tive, and man's nature is elastic ; he is prompt to see 

 and to improve advantages. And never had such in- 

 centive fuller play than amongst us ; and not only 

 should it make us proud of agriculture, as an honor- 

 able pursuit ; but make us prize at its just value the 

 fair inheritance of freedom we enjoy, that that in- 

 heritance was, in no small degree, purchased, secur- 

 ed, and given into our hands, by the hardy and spirit- 



